Hot Soup on a Cold Day!

It's been a cool, drizzly day today! A great day for soup! We are pulling out our staple creamy vegetable soup. It's nutrient rich---so good for you soup, and the plus is it tastes great too! We made a trip to the market for all the essential ingredients. Here they are pictured below.


This is what you need to make it:

1 quart chicken or vegetable stock (you will find this in the soup section of your market)
1 yellow onion, peeled and rough chopped
2 leeks, remove the dark green stems-split them in half and rinse out all the grit, then rough shop
2 carrots, peeled and rough shopped
1 bunch kale, wash and remove spine
3 stems celery, smaller inner stalks with leaves, rough chopped
2 tomatoes, rough chopped
2 broccoli heads, break into florets
2 handfuls baby spinach
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and rough chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme or 5 sprigs fresh thyme
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 dashes cayenne pepper
1/2 cup cream (optional)


Now take a large pot-like you would use to make spaghetti in--bigger than a saucepan. Turn the heat on to medium. When pan is hot add the olive oil, onions and leeks. When they are softened, but not browned, add the rest of the vegetables except the spinach- (that gets added at the end) now pour the stock over the vegetables. Put a lid on the soup as it cooks. It will take about an hour for the vegetables to become fork tender. Remove from heat, add the spinach, and use an emulsion tool blender, regular blender or cuisinart to blend the soup ingredients to a lovely creamy consistency. Add cream (if desired) and blend. Adjust seasoning. You may need a little more salt-careful not to overdo it.


You are ready to serve! You can add a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream to garnish.

As a garnish we used crisp kale, creme fraiche, a toasted garlic sliver and a sprig of fresh thyme. This soup will warm you to the bone!